


The Legends Were True

by AceFlorins



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Chocobros - Freeform, Comedy, Drabble, Gen, Gladio likes his shirt unbuttoned for a reason, I don't know how Iris deals with her brother, My First Fanfic, This was for an Artist/Writer Swap challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 17:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20660891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceFlorins/pseuds/AceFlorins
Summary: Gladio thinks back on his favorite memories of each of his friends witnessing him in his shirtless glory.





	The Legends Were True

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for my Discord group's Artist/Writer Swap Challenge. Where artists would write and writers would draw.  
This is my first attempt at writing anything in a loooong time! LOL  
But ngl, I had a lot of fun! Might write more drabbles when I can.

"Gladdy. Can you at least button up your shirt while we're eating? It's kinda gross watching the brownie crumbs fall on your sweaty ass chest…” Iris Amicitia complained. “...EW, GROSS. DON'T EAT THEM!" 

The sweaty, brownie-bearded man laughed picking at the crumbs that fell in the canyon of his pecs. "Five second rule."

"It's BAD enough there's crumbs in your beard." Iris made a face and continued to sip on her strawberry milkshake; her eyes trailing from her brother’s beard to his chest. "Y’know, I don't even think I remember the last time I've seen your shirt buttoned up.”

“Heh. It’s not like I was born with a shirt on. If you don’t like it, don’t look.” he smirked as he readjusted his shirt to expose his chest more.

Iris rolled her eyes and groaned. The two siblings continued their rare sibling date, counting how many passersby they caught doing doubletakes at Gladio’s exposure. 

Gladiolus Amicitia had a guilty pleasure; and that was to watch the reactions of those who witnessed his bare chest in all its glory. He had three favorite memories of reactions; each coming from his close friends. 

\---

His memory with Noctis was when they were training in their early teens.  
The Prince was 12 and the Shield, 15. Puberty had hit the 15 year old like an angry garulessa protecting her herd from a hungry pack of voretooth.  
The young prince didn’t pay any mind to his Shield when they were younger. But Gods, the prince DID notice Gladio’s body changing at a faster rate than his own.

The two boys clashing training swords in the dojo were sweating more than usual thanks to the hot, humid summer. It was so hot, that Gladio had slipped backward on a puddle of sweat that collected on the floor. Frustrated from eyes stinging with sweat, the overheating Shield peeled his wet tank top off and flung it across the room with a light schlop. Noct’s eyes followed the tank top and back to Gladio; except Noct’s eyes didn’t meet the other’s eyes. Noct’s eyes met and stayed glued onto Gladio’s glistening chest. 

“Hey.” The Shield rose to his feet, being careful not to slip on the same puddle. “My eyes are up here, princess.”

“H-Huh? What?.. Oh. No!”

“Your secret’s safe with me, princess.”

“Ugh.”

From time to time, Gladio would catch Noct glancing at his body during training sessions and sometimes even tease his prince with some shirtless sparring.

\---

Gladio’s memory with Ignis was when they were in Noct’s apartment trying to make desserts for Noct’s post-finals celebration with Prompto. Ignis had just finished piping cream into chocolate eclairs and decided to take a coffee break. 

“Can I taste test one of them?” Gladio asked already bringing an eclair up to his lips.

“By all means. Let me know if they’re to your liking.” Ignis answered while grabbing a mug from a cupboard; his back turned to Gladio. 

Gladio took one bite, his eyes fluttering at how heavenly the eclair tasted. Cream decided to ooze out from the pastry and fall on his Crownsguard training shirt. He shrugged it off at first but decided “f*** it” as more and more cream spilled out on it. The taste tester slowly stretched the fabric over his body to avoid touching the rest of the eclair he held in his mouth.

Ignis finished pouring his cup of coffee. “You’re awfully quiet, Gladio. I’ll take your silence as a good thing.” 

Taking sips, he turned around to check on his friend only to find him licking his fingers clean of chocolate while completely bare-chested with his black shirt slung over his shoulder. Ignis’s eyes widened at the dollops of cream that trailed down from Gladio’s collar bone to abdominals. Ignis’s face flushed and he abruptly choked mid-swig. The spectacled chef quickly spun around and slammed his mug on the kitchen counter with one hand and pounded his chest with the other to force out the coughs.

“You okay, Iggy?” The half naked man cheekily asked while sucking off the remaining chocolate on his index finger. He sauntered and hovered over his coffee coughing friend.  
Ignis couldn’t say anything between coughs and tried to hide his flustered face from Gladio.  
All Gladio did was laugh and roughly patted his coughing friend on the back to help him.

\---

The memory with Prompto was a mildly painful one just because it was a day Gladio was running a high fever without telling anyone.  
Class was finally dismissed and the four friends decided to rest and relax at Noct’s apartment to finally enjoy the upcoming weekend. Ignis and Noct were out buying snacks and take-out while Gladio and Prompto stayed behind.  
The two boys lounged on the couch, legs sprawled, each boy scrolling through their phones until a soft thud was heard. Prompto jumped up in his seat and looked for the source of the sound, only to realize it was Gladio’s phone hitting the wooden floorboards.

Prompto curled over and reached for the phone on the floor. “Here y’go, big guy!” But the lack of reaction, movement, or thanks from Gladio was strange to Prompto. 

“Yo. Earth to Big Guy?” Prompto leaned in closer to get a look at Gladio’s face to find out that his eyes are shut tightly and his brows furrowed like he was in pain. The only movement happening from Gladio was his heavy breathing and the sweat rolling from beneath his backwards cap and neck. Prom panicked and tried nudging Gladio awake only to hear pained grunts. The baffled blond pressed his hand against his friend’s forehead and took it back in a snap. Gladio was burning hot.

“We gotta cool you down, buddy.” Prompto carefully removed Gladio’s cap to fan him with it.  
With his other hand, he fumbled with his phone to call Noct and tell him what’s wrong. After a few frantic exchanges over the phone with Noct and Iggy, Prompto attempts to help Gladio out.

“H-hey buddy, can you hear me? Are you awake?”

With the same pained expression, Gladio manages a small nod.

“Oh! Good, good! We gotta cool you off okay? Can you remove your hoodie?”

Gladio’s struggled to pull at the sleeves of his hooded sweatshirt but to no avail.  
“I’m… I’m going to help you okay? I’m gonna take your hoodie off for you. Is that okay?”

A nod.

Prompto was nervous. He was already intimidated by his friend, but it was even more nerve wracking for him to see the strongest of the squad look so pained and helpless. Carefully, he assisted Gladio’s arms out of the sleeves. Now, it was getting the whole sweatshirt up and over his head. Getting up from the couch, Prompto stood awkwardly between Gladio’s legs as he tried to lift the front of the hoodie up. Gladio’s shirt underneath the sweatshirt was drenched in sweat so Prom took the liberty of removing that with the hoodie.

“I’m just going to remove the undershirt too, okay?” Prompto paused when he was greeted by Gladio’s abs and navel. He gulped as he raised the hoodie higher and higher. 

“O-Okay, buddy. We got this. But I’m going to need your help a tiiiiny bit h-here.”

Gladio arched his back as best he could just so his “caretaker” had an easier time undressing him. When Gladio’s full chest was finally free, Prom’s lips pursed and he himself started sweating. This was Prompto’s first time seeing Gladio’s renowned physique up close and personal.

“O-Oh my gods, the legends are true!” Prompto breathily blurted out. His face and ears turned a shade of pink.

With a pained smirk, the man snorted and raised an eyebrow with eyes still shut at the comment without being noticed by Prom. He shivered a tiny bit from the lack of insulation his hoodie provided him. His smirk disappearing as his chills reappeared.

“O-OKAY! Now we just gotta lift this bad boy over your head!” but as Prompto tried reaching his arms out to pull the hoodie over Gladio’s head, he lost his balance and stumbled right on top of the big guy. OOF.  
His face now red with embarrassment, Prompto panicked to get up. 

“AHH! I’m sorry, buddy! I-I!...?? G-Gladio?” The smaller boy found himself stuck as Gladio had wrapped his arms around him. 

Gladio muttered something in his breath that Prompto didn’t quite catch.

“B-Buddy?”

“I’m… Cold… Stay.” Gladio rasped, keeping the blond in place on top of him for his warmth.  
Prompto didn’t talk back as his confusion (and fluster) overtook him and Gladio dozed off to sleep. Shortly after, Ignis and Noct returned… with questions.

\---

Gladio smiled to himself with these memories he liked to replay in his head.

“Hey Gladdy. Y’ready to go? We still need to look for that Cactuar figurine Talcott was talking about.” Iris nudged Gladio out of his reminiscing.

“Huh? Oh. Right. Yeah, let’s do that.” he snapped back to reality and dusted off his beard and body of brownie crumbs.

“Button up your shirt first?”

“Nah.”

“Oh well, I tried.”

The two siblings shared playful arm punches as they paid the bill, got up, and went on their way… still counting the doubletaking passersby.


End file.
